Celebrating a 2 year anniversary with a double dose of chocolate

This weekend marks the 2 years that Dr. Sweetpea and I have been together. When I first met him, it was two years after I graduated from college, extremely young, and trying to figure out the path I wanted to take career wise. Then there was Dr. Sweetpea....older, sophisticated, wiser, had his life together, and more "adult" than I was at that point in time. I remember being extremely nervous on our first date, like palms sweating, brain running a million miles per minute, and heart pounding so hard that I thought it was going to burst out of my chest. Thankfully, I didn't pass out on our first date, and had a wonderful time together. Fast forward 2 amazing years, and we're still going strong :o)

A couple days ago, I asked Dr. Sweetpea if he wanted me to bake anything special for him since it's our 2 year anniversary. I was preparing myself to bake this ginormous cake, but he simply said he wanted double chocolate chip cookies! So I scoured the internet to find double chocolate chip cookie recipes, and came across this gem of a recipe from Nestle. It's absolutely divine fresh out of the oven, and perfect with your morning cup of coffee the next day.

Double-Chocolate Dream Cookies

(Source: Nestle - Verybestbaking.com)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract*

2 large eggs

2 cups (12-oz pkg) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 375° F. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*I think the next time I bake these cookies, I'll replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract to make mint chocolate cookies or raspberry extract for chocolate raspberry cookies.

Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

One of my favorite things to order at Cheesecake Factory is the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta. I absolutely love the spicy/sweet/smokey flavor combo, and have been searching for a recipe similar to my favorite dish. Unfortunately, Cheesecake Factory doesn't share their recipes, but many people have tried to replicate it. I found a recipe a few weeks ago that sounded fantastic and gave it a try. It's not exactly like the stuff you get at the restaurant, but it's pretty close!

Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

(Source: JyotisKitchen.com)

STEP ONE:

Chicken marinade:   Mix all together in Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken tenders, cut into bit sized pieces.

4 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

STEP TWO:

Roast 10-12 sticks of asparagus seasoned well with olive oil, parmesan cheese, and pepper in an oven heated to 425 degress for about 15 minutes until tender. Then cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces.

STEP THREE:

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (if you don't have yellow, just cut a whole red bell, its just for looks!)

4 cloves, garlic finely chopped

1 pound piccolini (I used bowtie pasta)

1 can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, grind the whole can in a food processor to make a sauce

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large pasta pot, boil water for the pasta.  Once the water is boiling add a lot of salt to flavor the water.  Then add half the box of pasta.  Cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente and then drain well. Do not rinse the pasta. In a large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on high heat.  Add the chicken and the entire marinade to the saucepan and cook until golden brown.  Then remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic for about two minutes.  Then add the bell pepper and stir fry for about four minutes. Once the bell pepper is slightly tender add 1/2 cup chipotle sauce, 2 cups heavy cream, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese.  Once you have mixed these ingredients in taste the sauce.  If you prefer a more spicy sauce add more chipotle sauce to taste. Once the sauce is to your liking add frozen peas, chopped roasted asparagus, chicken, and pasta.  Mix well and cook until peas are sweet and juicy.

Pear and Mascarpone Cheese Wrapped with Prosciutto and Balsamic Glaze

Several months ago, Dr. Sweetpea and I had an appetizer at an Italian restaurant which was absolutely mouthwatering delicious. It wasn't fried calamari, or fried ravioli, or even bruschetta. Actually. it was pears smeared with mascarpone cheese and wrapped with prosciutto. It sounds a bit bizarre, but it was really reaaaalllly good. I was able to recreate this it at home, and now I can eat this dish any day I want.

Super short post, but I'm also super tired :o( 

Pear and Mascarpone Cheese Wrapped with Prosciutto and Balsamic Glaze

(Source: Carlucci's)

Bosc Pears

Mascarpone Cheese

Prosciutto 

Reduced Balsamic Glaze 

Peel the pears and cut into fourths lengthwise. Pit the seeds of the pears by using a small melon baller. Smear about 1 tablespoon of mascarpone cheese on each pear. Wrap each pear/mascarpone piece with a thin slice of prosciutto. Set on a nice serving dish and drizzle balsamic glaze over the appetizers before serving. 

Lime Meltaways

Ever since last week, I wanted to bake something with key limes since Dr. Sweetpea loves everything with key limes. I tried looking through all my cookbooks but none of the recipes really caught my eye. Then I   started browsing for citrus cookies online when I came across the Lime Meltaways by Martha Stewart. These cookies are very similar to Russian Tea Cookies but it doesn't contain nuts. The lime zest and lime juice adds the perfect amount of citrus flavor and tartness to the cookie. Overall, I thought these cookies were super light and a great cookie to have if you want that burst of citrus.

Lime Meltaways

(Source: Martha Stewart) 

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.Wrap dough in saran wrap and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and shape the dough into 1 ½ - 2 inch balls. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Greek Salad

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Since today is a day for my mom to kick back and relax, I decided to make her favorite salad. My mom absolutely loves Greek Salad because it's so light and refreshing. Plus, it's so simple to throw together in a few minutes. I've been using Ina Garden's recipe for a few years, and it can't be beat. I absolutely love the salad dressing for this salad because it perfectly enhances the salad and doesn't drown in dressing. If you're looking for a quick and refreshing salad, then this is the one try!

Greek Salad 

(Source: Ina Garden)

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 red bell pepper, large-diced   (I just used all green peppers)

1 yellow bell pepper, large-diced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved   (I just chopped some regular tomatoes)

1/2 red onion, sliced in half-rounds

1/2 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)

1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup good red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup good olive oil

Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl. For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.